Bloomington High School North relied on the state's stingiest defense to beat a familiar face Saturday night.
The Cougars, playing for the second straight night, held Indianapolis Northwest to 26-percent shooting en route to a 61-40 win over the Space Pioneers of first-year coach Bobby Wilkerson, a defensive stalwart and assist leader on Indiana University's 1975-76 NCAA championship team. Wilkerson was impressed by the Cougars and he said only one thing will beat them.
"You would have to play good defense to beat them," Wilkerson said. "You've got to control Sean May, Jared Jeffries and Mike Bridgwaters to have a chance to beat them. Or you have to get May and Jeffries in foul trouble."
The front-line combination of May, Jeffries and Bridgwaters has averaged 49 points and 27 rebounds per game for the third-ranked Cougars (12-0). Wilkerson said that the only way to beat North is by giving it a bit of its own medicine.
"North is an aggressive defensive team," he said. "They play hard. The only way to beat them is to play harder on defense than they do. That's easier said than done."
While Northwest (5-9) was held under 30 percent shooting, BHSN shot exactly 50 percent, just a hair under its 52 percent for the season. Jeffries, a 6-foot-9 senior coming off a North record of 42 points Friday night, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
"He intimidated us a little," said Wilkerson. "I bet he rushed four or five shots and our young men were a little shy after that."
May added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Bridgwaters totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds.
North held Northwest to a 2-of-15 shooting in the first quarter and built a 15-4 advantage. The Pioneers nearly doubled their shooting percentage in the second quarter, but Jeffries scored eight points to lead a 21-10 surge that put the Cougars up by 20 at halftime.
"The first two quarters were the game tonight," BHSN coach Tom McKinney said. "We had a run at the end of the first quarter and controlled the second quarter. They did not shoot well in the first half and then we controlled the third quarter. I couldn't be dissatisfied after three quarters up 52-20."
Northwest shot just 15 percent in the third quarter as May, Bridgwaters and Jeffries dominated play.
The Pioneers did win the fourth quarter 20-9 as guard Gillous Darden warmed up. Darden finished with 16 points, including 12 in the final quarter.
"It's a little disturbing to get outscored 20-9 and have several turnovers in the fourth quarter," McKinney said.
The Cougars finished the night with 20 turnovers. Northwest had 17. Fifteen of those Cougar turnovers came in the second half and most of those came in the final stanza.
"I think at 2 o'clock this afternoon the guys didn't think we would play," McKinney said. "That may have had something to do with the lapse of concentration."
North will have another doubleheader weekend next week. The Cougars host Perry Meridian and IU recruit Andre Owens Friday, then play at Seymour Saturday.
BHSN's JV team won the opener Saturday night, 46-28.
© 2000 dbulla@indiana.edu